In aeronautical engineering they teach an exercise that shows that it is theoretically impossible for a bumble bee to fly. They prove mathematically that the power to weight ratio and the wingspan of the bee make it physically impossible to fly. Fortunately, the average bumblebee never studied theoretical aeronautical engineering and flies just fine, thank-you! The same holds true in my discipline, criminal justice. There are thousands of theories of crime, spouted by an army of professors and social workers. However, not one of them has "solved" the problem of crime. If the theories worked we would be teaching criminal justice as a history class. "This is how we solved it, children!" One only has to look at the rampant crime in most large American cites to know that we have not solved it. Having said that, theories are important precisely because we have not solved it and are in need of new ideas. Teaching what has been done and is currently being done is also essential to a through grasp of the problem. You need to know not only what is working, but what is not. However, simply repeating the same old tired theories as gospel or anything else as failed historical attempts to figure it out is counterproductive.
To my belief higher education at the resp. institution is theoretical. But tit changes with practical phases in the semester vacation in schools and school-near institutions. The main practice as practical training begins after university examinations. It endures two and a half year and is finished with the second examination. You can practice change by more theoretical background to get a more sophisticated lavel, or you can try to make theory more practical, for instance in the era of so-called Progressive Education (in US: John Dewey, Kilpatrick, et others); many generations tried such attempts to introduce project work and other practice. Of course with loss or theoretical claim. I can't see that this is desirable. In my modest view good teachers are not those who can tell their students nice stories from their life, but are able to convey sophisticated knowledge with theoretical background.
Dear Suhail
1. It may be worthwhile to mention that the strategic concepts such as vision, mission, strategic plan and the goals of higher education institutions (HEIs) are well recognized, interpreted and created in terms of knowledge production, reinforcement of the manpower of graduates, dissemination of research and information and the development of human resources - all of these being important factors of intellectual capital. In addition, the relation between IC and innovation, developing human resources and improving the performance of institutions is well realized in most IC literature. These factors/goals of HEIs shape the components of IC structure in a range of domains in any given country and promote a great interest for HEIs to analyze their intellectual resources and output .
Please refer to,
Z. A. Al-Hemyari and A. M. Al-Sarmi (2018). Information Management Model for Intellectual Capital of HEIs in Oman: Theoretical Quantitative Approach and Practical Results. J. of Information and Knowledge Management, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp.1-38. (World Scientific).
Regards,
Zuhair
Again
2. In fact, human capital, structural capital and customer capital are the components which constitute the main factors whereby institutions produce and disseminate knowledge which in turn serve as the means through which the quantity of knowledge produced within a country can be added to the national pool of knowledge.
3. Moreover, there is a strong connection between the skills of nations, research and teaching. The dual relationship between the knowledge of any given individual acquired during his early years of studies and the skills that he develops, are well recognized as having a significant influence and interaction in his nation. In addition, in the competitive global ‘knowledge economy’, the knowledge and skills of a nation’s people will significantly determine the country’s well-being. This makes the quality of learning – the acquisition by students of knowledge, skills, and values - in universities, of the utmost importance for the community as well as for each individual student”
4. Thus, the role of higher education institutions in creating and disseminating knowledge and reducing the gap between knowledge and practice is very substantial and significant.
Regards,
Zuhair
In aeronautical engineering they teach an exercise that shows that it is theoretically impossible for a bumble bee to fly. They prove mathematically that the power to weight ratio and the wingspan of the bee make it physically impossible to fly. Fortunately, the average bumblebee never studied theoretical aeronautical engineering and flies just fine, thank-you! The same holds true in my discipline, criminal justice. There are thousands of theories of crime, spouted by an army of professors and social workers. However, not one of them has "solved" the problem of crime. If the theories worked we would be teaching criminal justice as a history class. "This is how we solved it, children!" One only has to look at the rampant crime in most large American cites to know that we have not solved it. Having said that, theories are important precisely because we have not solved it and are in need of new ideas. Teaching what has been done and is currently being done is also essential to a through grasp of the problem. You need to know not only what is working, but what is not. However, simply repeating the same old tired theories as gospel or anything else as failed historical attempts to figure it out is counterproductive.
In my university we try to bring the workplace to the University by offering students first hand interviews with managers, visiting owners to the classes, visiting researchers, Internships before students graduate, using applied case studies and simulation in the teaching, etc... Yet, the gap is not nullified but rather reduced.
In simple words: change program to:
1. Analyse what practical knowledge, skills, attitudes are by graduates joining work place.
2. Choose educational program that offers many and repeating opportunities for students to practice what they learn as part of their learning process.
3. Opportunities cover application of knowledge, doing skills and practicing attitudes.
4. Choose educational strategies that put needed knowledge to comply practical learning (experiential knowledge and not factual).
5. Monitor, assess and continuously improve.
6. Train and assess students using objective tools including check lists.
First of all, in my mind:
To change something, the people have to reformulate and rethink their paradigmas and mentalities, more when we are in the educational arena, because it is a social, cultural and organizational
responbability.
Dear Suhai.
I think that institutions of higher education should contribute to what touches the gap between theory and practice from the consideration that one is the presupposition of the other. Despite the practice of obtaining a predominant criterion in the epistemological considerations, still, one can not think of a practice without theory, therefore, the practice is expressed as the action of a theory. From a perspective linked to historical-dialectical materialism, we can classify this understanding as PRÁXIS. Although theory corresponds to one pole and practice to another, the problem will not be solved only by joining them, however, respecting the existing contradictions from the tensions that concern the particularity of each pole.
In this sense, the construction of research procedures and/or knowledge production should bring the notion of praxis to guide the researcher's posture. This is not limited only to research but to the dynamism of teaching itself, within undergraduate courses, seeking to link the contradictions of social reality with the contents previously selected by teachers, thus mediating the debate from a dialogical method.
the gap between knowledge and practice, reduced by proper assessment of the needs of practice field, in regards the skills for more productivity, the applicable knowledge. Also by the early gradual involvement of student in practical training.
The role of the education in general of reducing the gap between knowledge and practice must be increasingly important, but there is evidence that this social responsibility it is not fully fulfilled already in the Latin-American secondary education http://www.oei.es/historico/noticias/spip.php?article10880&debut_5ultimasOEI=90
In the Latin-American higher education, it does not improve substantially this social transcendental role http://results.chronicle.com/LP=1282?CIGWCHSOS1A due to the inexcusable reluctance of the academicians to engage the employers of their future professionals, in the pertinent definition of the respective professional profiles that will give origin to the respective study plans. The European universities are assuming this responsibility and the certifications of the good universities include this indicator in the processes of accreditation http://www.qs.com/employability-important-higher-education/ example that Latin-American universities should follow
My general experience us that universities, while emphasising the theory frameworks of knowledge, do not take any?/full?/enough?/up-to date responsibility for closing the gap between theory and practise. The academics at universities often teach for being able to do research primarily, and also we can remind ourselves that the academics often are the people that never left school - so how could we demand from them to mentor in application of theory in practise? Closing this gap often becomes a task for the individual student, after exam, to apply and use what he/she has learnt or just ignore it if it does not feel applicable (which is often the case when practise develops fast)..
Skill competence is gained through deliberate low risk pratice. Skill models , clinical, professional or techinal are essential for pthe ractical application and repetitive pratice of basic skills taught.. They are also tools to evaluate the students ability to master a skill. Institutions have to get out of the box and build high fedility models , simulated court rooms, operating rooms, social enviroments, rain forest, animal shelters: what ever they are teaching ,the students need models to learn not only how but when to use their skills.
Crear simuladores a través de herramientas tecnológicas, donde se puedan plantear escenarios en diversos contextos, mediante los cuales los estudiantes puedan aplicar los conocimientos adquiridos, y por ende practicar.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Education
- Higher Education